Doomed by Dumsor?

Impacts and implications of Ghana's Load Shedding Crisis

Abstract

Many developing countries struggle with providing basic infrastructure to their citizens; however, the current electricity crisis in Ghana is particularly unique in terms of both duration and intensity. The economic impacts of these load shedding practices are currently estimated to be more than $2 million USD daily, with incalculable costs incurred to social development. There is a lack of political will among Ghanaian politicians to critically address the issue outside of short-term measures prior to elections to placate the voting public. The goal of this policy brief is to suggest a number of practical, actionable policy options that the Ghanaian government could implement to mitigate their energy crisis in both the short and long-term.